Saturday, February 18, 2012

Mexico 2011 Food Safety & Security

This beautiful souvenir sheet was released by Mexico on 18 October 2011 on the theme of Health and Security in Mexico. From the illustrations, it is obvious that the focus is on food safety and food security. The sheet contains 6 stamps: The first stamp is about Alfonso Luis Herrera Lopez, a pioneer of plant health in Mexico; the second stamp features the meat industry, stating the fact of freedom from foot and mouth disease (FMD) for more than half a century, and showing an inspection and approval seal of SAGARPA (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food; the third stamp features Dieter Enkerlin and his work in pest control in the cotton industry using sterile insect technique; the fourth stamp emphasizes good practices in food industry; the fifth stamp features control, inspection and verification in food distribution; the last stamp features research and development based on antibodies and genetics, this stamp features the double helical representation of DNA. The sheet selvage features various scenes in the food industry and representation of type of food in Mexico.

Each of the 6 stamps is watermarked with fluorescent ink bearing the symbol of SENASICA (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria), Natioanl Agroalimentary Health, Safety & Quality Services, as shown below with one of the stamps illuminated with UV light.